I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical ventilating systems for drawing stale air away from members of the surgical team while protecting a patient from contamination. The invention also relates to ventilating systems which simultaneously protect members of the surgical team from contamination.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
This invention generally lies in the field of masking systems to prevent contamination of the air in any location where it is desired to maintain "clean air" conditions to avoid corrosion or deposit of dust or moisture or other contaminants. It is more particularly directed to a masking system for use in the performance of surgical operations.
One of the problems which has plagued the medical profession for many years is post-operative infection resulting from contamination of open wounds during surgery. There are many possible causes of such contamination, such as contaminated instruments and hands, perspiration and respiratory droplets and shedding of hair and skin of the surgeon or other operating team member, and the bacteria on the skin of the patient. Most of these problems have been greatly reduced by presently used techniques, including preoperative skin cleaning, the surgical scrub, rubber gloves, masks, sterile drapes, clothing, and instruments, and thorough filtration of the air in the operating theater. However, some contamination and infection still exists, and efforts are continually being made to improve the situation.
One of the sources of contamination which is very difficult to control is the surgeon himself and his operating team. Of necessity, he and they must be immediately adjacent the patient and in fact, leaning directly over the locus of the surgery. His gown and hood are not totally impervious to passage of perspiration moisture and epithelial scales and bacteria from the body. The conventional surgical mask is merely a coarse filter which removes bacteria laden droplets of moisture from the exhaled breath. This mask soon becomes saturated with water preventing easy passage of air through the material. The exhaled air is thus directed out around the edges of the mask. This re-direction of moist air upward around the nose and cheeks causes fogging of spectacles and general discomfort to the surgeon.
Considerable improvement has resulted from equipping operating rooms with means for producing a continuous laminar flow of sterile air through the room from one side wall to the opposite wall or from ceiling to floor. The flow carries the majority of contaminants out of the room before they can come into contact with the patient, but every movement of any member of the operating team disturbs the laminar flow and reduces its effectiveness. In addition, the surgical team working in close proximity to the surgical site provides a concentrated source of bacteria which can be carried by the flowing air into the wound.
An answer to this problem has been the provision of exhaust type masking systems in which each member of the operative team is substantially completely covered with a hood and gown of practically impermeable material and closed transparent mask located in an opening in the front of the hood. A conduit system is connected to a suction manifold and has a suction opening adjacent the face of the wearer to carry away exhalations, perspiration, and the like. There is negative pressure throughout the interior of the gown so that any leakage is inward. Such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,570.
In such systems, in order to effectively draw off the emanated contaminants through a suction hose connected to the gown or hood, a relatively large vacuum blower has been required which creates excessive and annoying noise and impairs communication among members of the operating team. These latter systems often times use multiple outlets on a distribution manifold for the attachment of a plurality of hoses, then vent the exhaust air outside of the operating room. In other instances, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,173, the exhaust air is vented, via the hoses, through a filtering unit physically located within the operating room.
Also known are gowns and masks into which are incorporated battery powered motor/blower assemblies worn by each individual, thereby eliminating the need for the cumbersome hoses. However, even in these instances, there are drawbacks which include the limited useful life for, and the substantial weight of, the batteries. During a lengthy surgical procedure, the batteries can lose much or all of their power, and their substantial weight can tire the members of the surgical team after a time.
Although in the past, the emphasis has been placed on protecting the patient from contamination, more recently, primarily because of the substantial concerns raised by the AIDS virus, there has been more and more emphasis on protecting the surgical team in the operating room from contamination as well as the patient.
It was with knowledge of the prior art, its limitations, and concerns with existing equipment that the present invention was conceived and has now been reduced to practice.